FanHouse JoeSmith

Joe Johnson wants to believe that his Atlanta Hawks are on the verge of being contenders in the Eastern Conference. They should be getting close.

But going into the start of the NBA's regular season next week, Johnson isn't so sure anymore.

"Sometimes, I can't tell if we really want it,'' Johnson told FanHouse after his Hawks were embarrassed by a 37-point loss Friday night in their final exhibition game by the Orlando Magic. "It's discouraging. Sometimes, you never know what you're going to get from this team. And that won't work.''

Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?

Here are five moves that might not have gotten a lot of attention but were very solid nonetheless:

--Raptors get Marco Belinelli from Warriors for Devean George, cash: Belinelli may not be a starter in the NBA, but he can be a rotation guy. And it just so happens the Raptors are pretty much bereft of two guards. That alone should get Belinelli on the court, and from there he'll certainly help at various junctures. As for George, who knows if he'll be healthy and who knows if he'll be able to crack the Warriors' rotation if he is.

In their typical low-key, take-your-time style, the Atlanta Hawks are moving closer to turning the Big Three of the Eastern Conference – Boston, Orlando, Cleveland – into a Big Four party this season.

According to reports Friday, the Hawks added veteran power forward Joe Smith to an already-promising mix that has improved steadily over the last five years, turning Atlanta into a legitimate contender in the East.

After re-signing free agents Mike Bibby, Marvin Williams and Zaza Pachulia – their own free agents -- earlier this summer, the Hawks improved their depth considerably by adding Jamal Crawford to the backcourt and now Smith to the frontcourt.

The Cleveland Cavaliers worked all season to develop a home-court dominance that they expected to carry them all the way to the NBA Finals. But after having that homecourt aura abruptly stripped away in Game 1 by Orlando, it puts them into a high-pressure, must-win, situation tonight in Game 2. Another loss would be crushing, like digging their own playoff grave.

Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Cavs never played from behind, which can cause panic to even the most seasoned veteran. Conversely, desperation can be a wonderful motivational tool. After the jump are five questions for Game 2 of the East finals.

The Cavaliers did indeed beat the Pistons in Game 3 of their first round playoff match-up, stretching their lead to a near insurmountable three games to none in the process. And because Cleveland was able to comfortably pull away in a 79-68 victory on the road, that pretty much means this series is all over but the Rasheed Wallace shouting at the refs.

Because it is. Look a little more closely at how this one went down, and you'll see that so much had to go wrong for Detroit to even make a game of it, and you'll see that the rule is this. Cleveland looks like the best team in the East, possibly the league right now, and it may not be that close.

Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.

Carmelo Anthony has often been criticized for his failure to the lead the Nuggets past the first round of the playoffs in five tries, but that's simply unfair. Truth be told, Denver's history of early exits began long before Anthony even entered high school, let alone became the Nuggets' whipping boy.

---

---

FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Cleveland Indians.

Coming off a 96-win season in 2007, the Indians were expected to be one of the stronger teams in the AL last year. Cleveland looked like it was going to compete with the Tigers all year for the division crown. They had Victor Martinez, one of the best catchers in the league, along with a 1-2 punch of CC Sabathia and Fausto Carmona atop the rotation. As always, there were some concerns, including fifth starter Cliff Lee, whose 2007 ERA was 6.29. But on the whole, it looked like it was going to be a pretty good year.

Most of ESPN's NBA media contingent has a great reputation. Marc Stein is a stone-cold killer; Chris Sheridan has had strong moments (particularly in FIBA/Olympic coverage). John Hollinger and Chad Ford have their haters, but hold good records in total. The analysis and style of Chris Broussard and J.A. Adande are typically fantastic, in my opinion. David Thorpe, Henry Abbott, Kevin Arnovitz -- swell guys I'm happy to call friends.

But Ric Bucher ... he's not a paragon of credibility.

As expected, it didn't take the recently bought out Drew Gooden and Joe Smith long to find new teams -- by all accounts, the two power forwards each had unofficial agreements in place even before the NBA confirmed they cleared waivers.

The two brawny power forwards pictured at right won't be wasting the time leading up to this summer's free agency languishing on a high lottery team. The excellent Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Oklahoma City agreed to waive cagey veteran Joe Smith in time to join a playoff team. Windhorst has sources that call the Cavaliers a lock as Smith's destination.

Drew Gooden, meanwhile, became a surprise addition to the buy-out list. Traded to the Kings a week-and-change ago, Gooden has played only one game in Royal Purple. But the rebuilding Kings have young talent in the frontcourt and no real need to, um, win. Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee first reported the possibility of a buy-out Saturday; it happened just an hour before the midnight Eastern deadline. San Antonio looks like a potential landing place.

But a team with no shot at either -- the Boston Celtics -- might be the biggest story out of the last-minute buy-outs.